1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to electrical switching gear and, more particularly, to improved electrical circuit breakers with mechanical energy storing ability.
2. Prior Art
Circuit breakers with mechanical energy storage, per se, are not new. However, prior to this invention they suffered from bulkiness and unreliability because of the coupling arrangement between the actuator portion and the movable contact portion. For example, in the prior art devices, if the actuator portion and the movable contact portion were proximate to each other, metal particles, soot and other debris generated during the arcing phenomenon commonly experienced in circuit breakers found in heavy power circuits is deposited on the actuator portion and impairs the operation of the breakers. Additionally, such prior art breakers required great depth in the actuator portion to accommodate the closing spring.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide a circuit breaker which is free of the general problems recited hereinbefore.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a circuit breaker which is relatively compact, is reliable on a long term basis, stores mechanical energy during the closing process and utilizes that stored energy with maximum efficiency.